sxx123: re where plenty of changes were made, Benn likes looking

re where plenty of changes were made, Benn likes looking

15 May 2018 at 05:36

A look at the best-of-seven National League Championship Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs:---Schedule: (All times EDT) Game 1, Saturday, at Chicago (8:08 p. Tanner Lee Jersey .m.); Game 2, Sunday, at Chicago (8:08 p.m.); Game 3, Tuesday, Oct. 18, at Los Angeles (8:08 p.m.); Game 4, Wednesday, Oct. 19, at Los Angeles (8:08 p.m.); x-Game 5, Thursday, Oct. 20, at Los Angeles (8:08 p.m.); x-Game 6, Saturday, Oct. 22, at Chicago (TBA); x-Game 7, Sunday, Oct. 23, at Chicago (TBA). (All games on FOX or FS1).x-if necessary.---Season Series: Cubs won 4-3.---Projected Lineup:Dodgers: 2B Chase Utley (.252, 14 HRs, 52 RBI) or Charlie Culberson (.284, 1, 7, in 34 games and 67 ABs), SS Corey Seager (.308, 26, 72), 3B Justin Turner (.275, 27, 90), 1B Adrian Gonzalez (.285, 18, 90), RF Josh Reddick (.258, 2, 9 in 47 games with Dodgers; .296, 8, 28 with Oakland) or Yasiel Puig (.263, 11, 45 in 104 games), CF Joc Pederson (.246, 25, 68), C Yasmani Grandal (.228, 27, 72), LF Howie Kendrick (.255, 8, 40) or Andrew Toles (.314, 3, 16 in 47 games).Cubs: CF Dexter Fowler (.276, 13, 48), 3B or LF Kris Bryant (.292, 39, 102, 121 runs, 176 hits), 1B Anthony Rizzo (.292, 32, 109, 170 hits), 2B or LF Ben Zobrist (.272, 18, 76), SS Addison Russell (.238, 21, 95), RF Jason Heyward (.230, 7, 49), 2B or 3B or SS Javier Baez (.273, 14, 59), C Miguel Montero (.216, 8, 33) or Willson Contreras (.282, 12, 35 in 76 games) or David Ross (.229, 10, 32).---Projected Rotation:Dodgers: RH Kenta Maeda (16-11, 3.48 ERA, 179 Ks in 175 2/3 IP), LH Clayton Kershaw (12-4, 1.69 ERA, 172 Ks in 149 IP), LH Rich Hill (3-2, 1.83, 34 1/3 IP with Dodgers; 9-3, 2.25, 76 IP in 14 starts with Oakland), LH Julio Urias (5-2, 3.39, 84 Ks in 77 IP).Cubs: LH Jon Lester (19-5, 2.44, 197 Ks), RH Kyle Hendricks (16-8, MLB-best 2.13), RH Jake Arrieta (18-8, 3.10), RH John Lackey (11-8, 3.35).---Relievers:Dodgers: RH Kenley Jansen (3-2, 1.83, career-high 47/53 saves), RH Pedro Baez (3-2, 3.04), RH Joe Blanton (7-2, 2.48), LH Luis Avilan (3-0, 3.20), RH Ross Stripling (5-9, 3.96), LH Grant Dayton (0-1, 2.05, 39 Ks, 26 1/3 IP in 25 games), RH Josh Fields (1-0, 4.63, 42 Ks, 35 IP in 37 games for Astros and Dodgers).Cubs: LH Aroldis Chapman (4-1, 1.55, 36/39 saves, 90 Ks, 58 IP for Yankees and Cubs), RH Hector Rondon (2-3, 3.53, 18/23 saves), RH Pedro Strop (2-2, 2.85), RH Carl Edwards Jr. (0-1, 3.75, 2 saves), RH Justin Grimm (2-1, 4.10), LH Mike Montgomery (4-5, 2.52, 49 games, 7 starts for Mariners and Cubs), LH Travis Wood (4-0, 2.95).---Matchups:One of these big-market teams is going to end a substantial drought. While the Cubs are looking for their first pennant since 1945 and World Series title since 1908, the Dodgers havent been to the Fall Classic since winning their 1988 championship. ... Series features two of baseballs oldest and most popular ballparks in Wrigley Field and Dodger Stadium. ... Chicago took three of four from Dodgers in a low-scoring series at Wrigley from May 30 to June 2, getting wins from Lester and Hendricks. Los Angeles won two of three meetings at home in late August, dropping the opener 6-4 in 10 innings before winning the final two games 3-2 and 1-0. ... Cubs avoided Kershaw and Maeda during the regular season. They also never faced Hill, who was acquired from Oakland on Aug. 1. ... Blanton had two wins out of the bullpen against Cubs this season. ... Second-year Chicago manager Joe Maddon was the skipper in Tampa Bay under front-office executive Andrew Friedman, now the Dodgers president of baseball operations. ... Cubs wanted to make sure Hendricks was healthy before committing to him in Game 2. Hendricks left Game 2 of the Division Series against San Francisco when a comebacker went off his right forearm in the fourth inning. He had a bullpen session Thursday. Hendricks was 9-2 with a 1.32 ERA in 15 home games this year. ... Cubs led the majors with 103 wins in the regular season, 12 more than Los Angeles. ... Cubs have power arms on a staff that ranked third in majors with 1,441 strikeouts this season. ... Third in majors in runs (808) and second in on-base percentage (.343) during the season, Chicago had a tough time at the plate against Giants in the Division Series. Cubs hit .200 with a .247 on-base percentage, and a big chunk of their offense came from pitchers. Arrieta and Wood combined for two of Chicagos five homers, and those two along with Hendricks accounted for six of teams 17 RBI. Rizzo, a contender for NL MVP, and Russell each went 1 for 15 in series. Baez, however, made one slick play after another at second base and delivered two of the biggest hits -- an eighth-inning homer off Johnny Cueto for the lone run in Game 1 and the go-ahead single in the ninth inning of Game 4. ... Dodgers went 53-28 at home and 38-43 on the road this season. But they won two of three games at Washington in Division Series, including Game 5 clincher. Kershaw came out of bullpen to get final two outs for his first major league save, two days after throwing 110 pitches in Game 4 on short rest. So he almost surely wont start until Game 2 or Game 3 against Cubs. ... A tiring Jansen was pushed to career-high 51 pitches in Game 5, so his availability -- and effectiveness -- will be a question mark early in NLCS. ... Dodgers have struggled against left-handed pitching all year and figure to face Lester twice if series goes five games.---Big Picture:Dodgers: With a $234 million opening day payroll, highest in the majors, Los Angeles (91-71) reached the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year in Dave Roberts first season as manager. The Dodgers have won four straight NL West titles, a first for the storied franchise, and surpassed 90 wins for the fourth season in a row. But they are still looking for their first trip to the World Series since Kirk Gibson, Orel Hershiser & Co. won it all as big underdogs in 1988. Los Angeles was beaten in the NLCS three times from 2008-13, then lost in the NLDS each of the past two years. They just squeezed by Washington, though, with a trio of one-run wins. ... Roberts and Tom Lasorda (1977) are the only rookie managers to lead the club to a division title. ... Gonzalez had 90 RBI for the 10th consecutive season, becoming the only major leaguer to do so. ... Grandal, Seager, Justin Turner and Pederson gave the Dodgers four players with 25 or more home runs for the fourth time in franchise history and first since 1997. ... The Dodgers put 28 players on the disabled list this season, the most for any team since at least 1987. ... Roberts used a franchise record-tying 55 players, including 31 pitchers. ... Seagers 193 hits were the most by a big league rookie since 2001. ... Dodgers pitchers recorded 1,510 strikeouts, a major league record.Cubs: Is this the year the Cubs at long last win the World Series? Favorites since opening day, Chicago (103-58) entered the playoffs with a large, excited fan base hoping against hope that the first championship in more than a century was finally around the corner. The Cubs jumped out to a 25-6 start on the way to a runaway title in the NL Central, then knocked off San Francisco in a thrilling NLDS. They rallied for four runs in the ninth inning of Game 4 to eliminate the pesky Giants and secure their second straight trip to the NLCS -- a first for the franchise. Swept by the New York Mets last season, theyre hoping for a better result this time. ... Bryant, a favorite for NL MVP after winning Rookie of the Year last season, was 6 for 16 with a homer against the Giants. During the regular season, he joined Rogers Hornsby (1929), Hack Wilson (1930) and Derrek Lee (2005) as the only players in franchise history with at least 120 runs, 35 doubles, 39 homers and 100 RBI. ... Hendricks and Lester became the first teammates to run 1-2 in the majors in ERA since Houston pitchers Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte in 2005. Both figure to get strong consideration for the NL Cy Young Award, which Arrieta won last year. ... Lester matched his career high for wins. ... Cubs pitchers led the majors with a 3.15 ERA. They gave up the fewest runs (556) and hits (1,125).---Watch For:- The Target. Well aware of the clubs 108-year championship drought, the Cubs showed up for spring training bolstered by the additions of Heyward, Zobrist and Lackey, and with a neat new slogan coined by Maddon: Embrace the Target. The phrase went on a T-shirt, and the Cubs could not have worn it any better during the regular season. They won the division by 17 1/2 games and finished with eight more wins than any other team. They had the depth and versatility to withstand injuries and the poise to pull out 14 wins in their final at-bat. Then they added two more in the NLDS against playoff-tested San Francisco. But the Cubs are still chasing that target, and the postseason pressure remains.- Ace In The Hole. As sensational as Kershaw has been throughout his career, hes struggled in the postseason. The three-time Cy Young Award winner and 2014 NL MVP is 3-6 with a 4.79 ERA in 16 playoff games, 12 starts, over eight series since 2008. Kershaw again was far from his best in two NLDS starts against Washington, but he won the opener and saved the finale. Maybe coming through in that signature moment will finally get him going in October -- if hes not worn out. The left-hander missed more than two months with a back injury before returning in September. While he was sidelined, the Dodgers surged into first place past slumping San Francisco.- Top That. Lester will have a hard time even approaching his performance in the playoff opener, when he went toe-to-toe with Cueto in a 1-0 win. Lester dominated over eight innings and retired his final 13 batters. He held the Dodgers to one run in 15 innings over two starts this season. The lefty tossed a four-hitter in a June 1 win and went six scoreless innings but did not get a decision on Aug. 28. Cheap Jacksonville Jaguars Jerseys . -- Nate Robinson has played for seven teams, so beating one of them is no longer a rare occurrence. Logan Cooke Jersey . - Goaltender Philippe Desrosiers of the Rimouski Oceanic has broken a shutout record that was only three months old in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. www.cheapjaguarsjerseyselite.com/?tag=cheap-taven-bryan-jersey . The judges scored it 48-47, 48-47, 49-46 for Jones (19-1). It was the champions closest call. Despite the loss, it was a remarkable show by the confident Swedish challenger, who had the best of the early rounds and then hung on in the fourth and fifth. FRISCO, Texas -- Former division rivals Anaheim and Dallas are both ready to start the 2016-17 season on Thursday night at American Airlines Center and look forward to doing so for similar reasons.The Ducks won the Pacific Division title last season with 103 points but lost in the first round of the playoffs to Nashville, a stinging seven-game defeat that was a big reason why coach Bruce Boudreau was fired after the season.Randy Carlyle, who has the most wins in franchise history and led the Ducks to win the Stanley Cup in 2007 during his previous stint in Anaheim, returns for a second go-around in SoCal.And after a tough training camp, Ducks regulars like defenseman Cam Fowler are ready to kick off the second Carlisle era in Anaheim.Weve all come together for the last month or so and gotten through a tough training camp, Fowler told the teams website on Wednesday. Its an exciting time and hopefully the start of good things to come.Its a similar story for Dallas, which won the Central Division last season, the Stars first division title since 2008 and was the top seed in the Western Conference.The Stars also won their first playoff series since 2008, eliminating the Minnesota Wild in six games in the opening round before falling to division rivals St. Louis in seven games in the conference semifinals, a series punctuated by a 6-1 loss in Game 7 in Dallas on May 11.But any thought about that disappointing defeat lingering with the Stars to start this season is misguided, according to Dallas forward Patrick Eaves.Thats in the past and we just have to worry about whats in front of us, Eaves said. Its exciting to get ready to start a new season. Well be ready to go. It should be another good year, but were looking for another good start.Dallas, who led the NHL with 267 goals last season, heads into the season with injuries already being a factor.Cody Eakin, who centered the Stars top line for much of last season, is out until at least mid-November with a knee issue. Veteran forward Ales Hemsky, who had 39 points last season, will miss the first few games with a groin injury.And even with key offensive cogs Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin both missing time during preseason, the Ducks know that the Stars mentality remains a simple yet effective one.They like to play that track-meet game, Carlyle told the media after practice on Wednesday in Dalllas. Will Richardson Jersey. If you allow them to continually enter with speed, youre going to be in trouble. They can put the puck in the net and play at a high pace.Their defensemen like to join the rush. We cant allow their defensemen to be consistently up the ice. Thats creating havoc for us.Both teams were active in the offseason, but the Ducks made more moves. In June, Anaheim traded goaltender Frederik Andersen to Toronto and then acquired Jonathan Bernier from the Maple Leafs in July.The Ducks also added veteran forwards Jared Boll, Mason Raymond and Antoine Vermette along with defensemen Nate Guenin and Jeff Schultz while re-signing Sami Vatanen to a multiyear contract.Anaheim is currently at an impasse in negotiations with defenseman Hampus Lindholm and forward Rickard Rakell, who are not with the team, creating a noticeable void.Despite all the changes the Ducks made to their roster this summer and fall, Stars coach Lindy Ruff has coached against Carlyle enough to know exactly how he likes his teams to approach each game.Well, (theyre) tough teams to play against, (have) real good structure, Ruff said. We really feel that the chances will be limited. Were going to have to use our speed to try to get in behind that defense.Were going to have to win our share of one-on-one battles down low to create opportunities because theyll be a tough team once theyre inside their own end.Dallas made only a few changes to its roster from last season, notably in the back end, where Jason Demers, Alex Goligoski and Kris Russell all departed and Dan Hamhuis came in. The Stars also added veteran forwards Jiri Hudler and Lauri Korpikoski.After experiencing several offseasons earlier in Ruffs tenure where plenty of changes were made, Benn likes looking across the dressing room and now seeing continuity in the form of plenty of familiar faces.Weve got a good group in here and I think we made another step last year, but its a whole new year, Benn said. I dont think were going to be a surprise to anyone anymore. Teams know how good this team is. Its just up to us to back it up, have that same killer instinct and mentality that were going to go far every year, were going to be a tough team to play against and a tough team to beat. Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Jerseys Wholesale Stitched Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys 2018 NFL Jerseys China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China ' ' ' 



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